Authorities in the Indian capital New Delhi are putting up life-size cut-outs of langurs to scare away smaller macaque monkeys from transport routes and meeting venues during the G20 summit next month.
Leaders such as US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, China's President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are among the world leaders who will be attending the summit on September 9 and 10.
The entire city has been spruced up for the event, with trees and plants manicured and boundary walls given fresh coats of paint.
But the gangs of macaques that roam the city, trashing gardens and attacking people for food, are still a concern.
While there are no official figures on their numbers, it is estimated that tens of thousands of the animals live in areas where people are settled, triggering daily human-animal conflicts.
In an attempt to deter the macaques from troubling the international delegations, the New Delhi Municipal Council has begun placing cut-outs of grey langurs, a more aggressive species, along roads near the Central Ridge area.
"All the important sites, including the main venue of the summit, hotels where foreign dignitaries and delegates would be staying, are being covered to ensure the monkey hordes are not visible there during the event," a government official said.
Authorities are also considering hiring people who can impersonate langur calls to scare away the macaques.
Experts say the presence of monkeys in urban and semi-urban areas is a result of rapid shrinking of their natural habitat, as well as the ready availability of food.
Many Hindus revere monkeys as descendants of the deity Lord Hanuman and so offer them food.
Past efforts to control the monkey menace in Delhi have all failed, including plans to relocate the animals to a wildlife park and a 54 million-rupee ($652,000) sterilisation programme that never materialised because authorities could not find an organisation to carry out the procedure.
Attempts to keep monkeys away from government buildings using electric fencing, firecrackers and guards armed with slingshots were also unsuccessful.
The Supreme Court last year invited public bids from companies to provide “monkey scarers” to keep hordes of rhesus macaques from entering the sprawling bungalows of its justices in the upmarket Lutyens area – the capital’s high-security central district which houses important government buildings, including the Prime Minister’s office and residence.
In 2014, the Indian Parliament hired 40 people to scare off monkeys by imitating the screeches of black-faced langurs.
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Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
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Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
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Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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